Healing injury pain- mind and spirit need healing, too

Grief and healing from injury pain can go beyond physical hurt. Our minds, our souls, and our identity are affected when we are in pain from injury. To fully heal and cope with your pain, consider how your injury impacts your life in all ways. Read this article to better understand how your mind and spirit feel the pain:

http://ezinearticles.com/?Treatment-For-Injury-Pain---How-to-Find-Pain-Relief-For-Mental-and-Spiritual-Injuries&id=1791630

Think of these principles, too, when you help a loved one cope with an injury. How deep is their pain? As a friend, support them by helping to address the psychological impact of their injury. Here are a few tips for helping them cope:

* Talk about the contributions they have made to their industry/field/occupation. If they get stuck talking about "what could have been" or "what will never be", get them refocused on all of the great that has already been done.

* Give them mental stimulation. Share books, books-on-tape, music, and any hobbies they can do during their recovery. Talk with them in-depth about a variety of topics.

* Focus on their whole self. Don't just talk about their injury, their doctors, their treatments, etc. Remember who they were before their injury and stay positive.

When you, or someone you love, is injured, let this information remind you of all of the healing needs, on all levels.

The Many Health Benefits of Running a Marathon, and how the media contributes to the American obesity epidemic

Whether you set out to run a marathon or a "1-Mile Fun Run", Dr. Jordan Metzl describes the many excellent ways that marathon-running can be great for your health. His reasons include:
* Goal-setting to improve health and stay on track
* Good for people of all weights and body types
* Motivating, keeps you going and builds enthusiasm
* Benefits of cardiovascular health and conditioning
* Makes you feel good, about your body and your self
* They're FUN! and Exercise should be fun!

Watch his description of running as a sport for everyone, then read below for a critique of the interviewer (Uggh!) and how her questions contribute to the country's obesity problems!


This interviewing newscaster drives me nuts! Her attitude, exemplified in the questions she asks, reflects most Americans' lazy attitudes toward exercise.

First, she calls the doctor "an EXTREME athlete" because he runs marathons. This is ridiculous. Running an occasional marathon is not extreme. Kite surfing, sport climbing, and mountain-boarding are examples of extreme sports. Running is a healthy, natural sport that our bodies are born to do!

Second, she asks him if it's safe to participate in such as "extreme sport". The question we should all be asking, instead of this one, is "How safe is it to get NO exercise?" Most Americans do not get regular exercise. And most of those who do are not getting vigorous exercise, sufficient to improve their health.

Third, she asks the tooooo-outdated question about "No Pain, No Gain". (C'Mon! Has she interviewed anyone about fitness in the last 2 decades?). This now-considered-ancient Nike slogan had been used by lazy people during the 90s to justify why they didn't work-out. Thank Goodness Dr. Metzl puts that silliness to rest with his answer: Yes, exercise should involve small doses of pain, just enough to push ourselves and feel challenged.

Pain and Injury Recovery: Rest is important

When you are in pain, or recovering from an injury, your sleep is compromised. Your body uses your energy for healing, and it becomes critical that you get good-quality sleep.

Read more to understand the role of rest in pain relief and injury recovery:
http://ezinearticles.com/?Why-Rest-is-an-Important-Part-of-Pain-Relief-and-Injury-Recovery&id=1581772

If you are currently recovering from pain or injury, you should focus to ensure that you get sound sleep and rest.

Pain Sufferers: 7 Ways to naturally energize from pain and injury

When you are in pain, or healing from an injury, you do not have your usual energy. Your body uses its energy to heal the pain and trauma. This is part of the body's natural healing response.

However, with our hectic lifestyles, sometimes we continue to test our energy. And we try to force ourselves to have more energy, with the use of stimulants like caffeine.

Read this article and discover 7 Ways to naturally recapture your body's energy, for better recovery from pain and injury:
http://ezinearticles.com/?Pain-Sufferers---7-Ways-to-Regain-Your-Energy-When-Youre-Healing-From-Pain-and-Injury&id=1597494

You will improve your body's ability to heal, and you will recover faster, when you respect the healing process and tap into your body's natural energy.

Pain Causes: Pulled Muscle, Pinched Nerve, or Pain Syndrome?

When you feel pain, sometimes it's tough to tell whether your pain is caused by a muscular or soft tissue injury, or nerve impingement and nervous system trauma, or maybe there's a deeper underlying cause.

There are several types of pain syndromes that might be the deeper root of your pain symptoms. These can cause you to feel:
*Hypersensitive to regular touch or pressure
*Extreme pain or discomfort in one area
*Restricted movement
*Other areas affected near the injured area

Read this article and think about your own physical signs:

http://ezinearticles.com/?Causes-of-Your-Pain---Pulled-Muscle,-Pinched-Nerve,-Or-Pain-Syndrome?&id=1588669

A muscle strain, impinged nerve, or soft tissue sprain should respond well to first aid. But a pain syndrome will require careful evaluation and specific treatment.

Natural therapies such as massage, acupuncture, and sauna use can all provide relief and speed recovery. But start with basic first aid, then a comprehensive assessment if your pain persists, and then appropriate treatment after you have determined the cause of your pain.

Got Shoulder, Arm & Neck Pain? Learn how they're related and get relief

If you have been suffering from arm, shoulder, and neck pain, your relief might be simpler than you would think. If you're feeling pain in these areas concurrently, they may be related. And relieving one of these areas might relieve them all.

Read this article to understand:
http://ezinearticles.com/?How-Symptoms-of-Pain-in-the-Shoulder,-Arm-and-Neck-Muscles-Relate-and-How-to-Relieve-Them-Together&id=1535490

If you have been trying to treat these pains as 3 separate problems, you might find immense relief when you treat them altogether.

Remember: the body is an amazing place, connected by interrelated parts. Structurally and physiologically, its parts are dependant on each other. If you are feeling distress in one area, there is probably distress in other areas, too.

So, as you find the cause of your pain and start treating it, treat other affected areas in the process.

Referral Pain: Fascial Restrictions as Causes of Pain

If you have been in any injury, but your pain is an area other than the injured area, then you might have referral pain. And Fascial Restrictions may be a cause of your continued pain.

However, this cause of pain symptoms is often overlooked in the medical community. Occasionally, a trained myofascial therapist will know to look for patterns of restrictions in the body that might be causing pain.

Learn more about fascial restrictions, and treating the deeper causes of your referral pain in this article:
http://ezinearticles.com/?Referral-Pain-After-Injury?-Dont-Overlook-Facial-Restrictions-For-Causes-of-Symptoms&id=1520335

Connect your symptoms and referral pain to their deepest roots, then treat them naturally with trained practitioners.

Muscle Relief applied: Superior topicals

For your muscle relief, you should know that "Not all topical ointments and analgesics are created equal."

What to look for in a topical muscle-soothing balm? Natural ingredients and herbs to de-stress muscles, like tried-and-true rosemary. And a combination of land and sea plants to detoxify and nourish.

We appreciate the better-quality ingredients in Elemis' Musclease product. It's a blend of essential oils and phytonutrients (plant-based nourishment). It's concentrated, with a Guarantee. High-quality ingredients are key, and we like their combination, with an algae base for extra nutrition for your body. Unique and progressive!
Elemis Musclease Active Body Concentrate



The pain relief experts at Higher Spa want you to know more about what to look for in a topical product offering muscle relief.

Yes, they can be effective at giving temporary relief from soreness and tension. But Beware! Many creams, lotions, gels, and other topical products are made with cheap ingredients that can cause more harm than good.

Look in the ingredients for "menthol" or "camphor". Do they use pure herbs, or just fragrance or perfume? Even some of the most expensive brands out there say "parfum" in the ingredient listings even though they claim to be "of the earth".

Having tested dozens and dozens of products for strained muscles and tension relief, we're glad to have found Musclease. Check out the other Elemis products, too. Their relief products offer a great pick-me-up in the middle of your hectic day!

Pain, Soreness, Achey? Can you be overcharged?

Are you getting sore and achey? Are your legs falling asleep, or going numb? Do you start to feel bad when you are around electrical devices?

Some electrical equipment and machines transmit energy waves. You could be sensitive to these. If you start to hurt, or become pained, when you are exposed to objects that transmit electrical signals, take note. You may be one of many people with "allergies" to these signals and their devices.

A group in Santa Fe have been experiencing these symptoms when they are exposed to WiFi connections, like those in public places. Watch this brief video clip to find out what they are doing:



Of course, if you are experiencing these same kinds of sensitivities, Take Note of everything that might be the source of those symptoms. Note what kinds of activities you participated in that day, and in the days before. Note all potential sources of these symptoms.

If symptoms progress beyond mild discomfort, see your doctor! Don't take guesses if you feel pain that gets worse, of if other symptoms worsen. First and foremost, take care of yourself.

Pain affects Sleep

Pain causes Sleep problems.

Acute and chronic pain are directly linked to problems with sleep. When one's body is in pain, your body uses its energy to heal whatever is causing the pain. And this shift in physical processes can lead to sleep disturbance.

People in pain report having difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep,

sleeping fewer hours, and waking up at night.

Dr. James C. O'Brien MD, FCCP, became involved in sleep medicine 12 years ago when he began to notice that many of his patients, with undiagnosed sleep disorders, were not responding to conventional medical treatments. When sleep disorders were diagnosed and treated, a patient's condition improved, and they reported a new sense of well-being. Dr. O'Brien discusses some of the physical changes that our bodies feel when we are in pain, and how it impacts sleep. He was interviewed for Medical News Today about the affects of pain on sleep. He shared how pain can affect the body's ability to "shut down".

When someone is in pain, their hormones shift. Adrenalin, our body's hormonal response to pain, can be in "overdrive" mode. When we have extra adrenalin surging, it is difficult to relax and prepare for sleep. "Pain is clearly the nemesis of getting good sleep", says Dr. O'Brien.

Differentiating acute pain (due to a recent injury or muscle strain) from chronic pain (long-term symptoms like arthritis pain, even when injury has healed) can help sleep treatment. Acute and chronic pain can influence sleep differently, so they may require different treatment.

Dr. Ellen Miller describes how medications can further complicate sleep problems. The medications have ingredients that stimulate the body and the nervous system. Some include caffeine, which stimulates the nervous system and inhibits sleep.

Medications may also have irritating side effects. So, then sleep can be disturbed due to the initial pain and due to medications' side effects.

If you have difficulty sleeping, or if you have pain which may affect your sleep, here are some of the experts' most common tips for improving sleep quality:

*Avoid caffeine late in the day
*Exercise early in the day
*Avoid drinking too much liquid in the evening
(author's note: hydrate early in the day, because dehydration can increase pain symptoms and inhibit sleep)
*Minimize alcohol consumption, especially in the evening
*Avoid spending time in bed except for sleep time
*Practice meditation and relaxation methods
*Establish an "unwinding ritual" around bed-time
*Go to sleep at the same time each night
*Awake at the same time each day, even if you did not get a good night's sleep

Basically, Prevention and lifestyle habits are key to a good night's sleep. And understanding the connections between pain and sleep can help treat problems with both!

For more info, visit http://www.painfreeu.com/

Stressed Out and Multi-Tasking

We're a nation of multi-taskers. Always on the go. Always on alert. Using modern conveniences and technology to squeeeze as much into our days as possible.

ABC shows us just how prevalent this mindset is in the American lifestyle:



How does this lifestyle take a toll on our health?

Stress contributes to pain and disease. Research on stress has conclusively demonstrated that feeling highly stressed increases pain levels, blood pressure, and disease risk. Stress contributes to fatigue, zapping our energy and mood. Stress decreases our sleep, quality and quantity.

Can there be...

Good News about Stress?

Actually, there are stresses that help our bodies. "Good stress" is known as eustress. Physical activity is the type of stress that benefits our health the most. Physical activity includes sports, exercise, recreation and active hobbies.

Physical activity lowers blood pressure, reduces pain and muscle tension, and prevents disease. It improves energy, metabolism, mood and sleep.

Other stressful activities that may be good for us include social events such as weddings and reunions, volunteering for charity functions and local organizations, fun times like festivals and concerts, and major milestones like new babies in the family.

To reduce stress, pain and tension in your life:
*Exercise Regularly
*Eat Nutritious foods
*Practice Spiritual fulfillment
*Meditate and Breathe slowly
*Improve your Sleep habits
*Drink plenty of pure Water

...and minimize your drive to be multi-tasking.

Greet each day with exhuberance and make more time to ...Breathe!

Best Water for Your Body

If you read my writings, you will often see reminders about the importance of drinking pure water. Your muscles need to stay hydrated to feel great and pain-free, a hydrated body is an energized body, etc.

With so many varieties of water out there, which is the best water for your body and your health?

The answer: No bottled water is best for you. Because bottled water is a wasteful industry. Filtered water, however, is another story.

I recommend purchasing a high-quality filter for your kitchen. Then get in the habit of bottling your own filtered water. Use and reuse bottles that will not diffuse chemicals into your water.



To clean my bottles, I use a toothbrush, some liquid natural castille soap, and lemon or peppermint essential oils. I clean around the cap and threads, then into the bottle. My bottle is then Lemony- or Minty-fresh and disinfecting, without breaking down the plastic properties the way a dish-washer would.

Hint: I squeeze a bit of fresh lime into my water. Keeps the bottle fresh longer, and mmmm...

Consider using alternatives that are healthier for you and the planet.